From probiotics to psychobiotics – the gut-brain axis in psychiatric disorders

Nov 16, 2020Beneficial microbes

How gut bacteria may influence mental health through the gut-brain connection

AI simplified

Gut-Brain Axis on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Abstract

A total of 23 studies met the criteria for meta-analysis on the effects of probiotics in psychiatric disorders.

Probiotic administration significantly reduced depressive symptoms in patients with depression (standardized mean difference (SMD) = -0.87).
No significant differences were found in symptoms of schizophrenia, stress, and anxiety between probiotic and placebo groups after intervention.
The effectiveness of treatments varied, with factors such as probiotic composition, quantity, and duration influencing outcomes.
Current literature indicates that not all probiotic, prebiotic, or dairy-rich diet treatments have a psychobiotic effect on the central nervous system.
Further studies with larger sample sizes and well-defined populations are necessary to better understand the therapeutic potential of probiotics for psychiatric symptoms.

AI simplified

This review aims to present a comprehensive state-of-the-art analysis of the bidirectional crosstalk between gut microbiota and the central nervous system (CNS). The literature concerning the potential effects of gut microbiota on psychiatric disorders through neural pathways comprising the 'gut-brain axis' were gathered. In addition, the influence of probiotics and prebiotics and dairy-rich diets combined with the intake of probiotics and prebiotics on gut microbiota and the subsequent relationship with brain function was reviewed. However, a meta-analysis on the effectiveness of probiotic supplementation in psychiatric disorders is lacking. Therefore, a systematic search of PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and ClinicalTrials.gov databases from January 1969 to December 2019 was conducted. It led to the identification of a total of 844 research articles. Of these, a total of 23 studies met the meta-analysis criteria. Statistical analysis revealed that there was no significant difference in the symptoms of schizophrenia, stress, and anxiety between probiotic and placebo groups, post-intervention. Probiotic administration reduced depressive symptoms among patients with depression in a statistically significant manner (standardised mean difference (SMD) = -0.87; 95% confidence interval (95% confidence interval): -1.66, -0.99;=0.03). Further evidence from larger and more rigorous studies with longer duration of probiotic administration, as well as well-defined populations, homogenous probiotic intervention and outcome measures, are needed to clarify the potential therapeutic effects of probiotics on psychiatric symptoms. Based on the current literature, it seems that not all probiotic-/prebiotic-/dairy-rich diet-based treatments exhibited a psychobiotic effect on the CNS. Among the parameters determining the success of the given treatment, the most significant were probiotic composition (multi-strain formulation), the quantity of ingested psychobiotics and the duration of the study. P

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View full text (HTML) ↗View full text ↗

From probiotics to psychobiotics – the gut-brain axis in psychiatric disorders

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the gut-brain axis brief

Abstract

Full Text

Related papers

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

what lands in your inbox each week:

Recent issues from the gut-brain axis brief